Rock Island, Ill. -- (July 29, 2011) The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mississippi River Project reminds everyone to be careful around the rising waters of the Mississippi River.  With large rainfall amounts to the north, the Mississippi River is rising quickly and many people who recreate on the River may not be prepared for high water this time of year.  In the Quad City area, the river is forecasted to reach flood stage Friday evening and remain over flood stage throughout the weekend.  Areas below the Quad Cities will also see River levels rise as the crest moves downriver over the next several days.

Greater caution is recommended if you plan to be near or on the Mississippi River during this high-water time.  The water is moving very fast and the current is strong.  There is much debris floating as the water washes large trees and logs from tributary rivers and streams, backwater areas and islands.

As always, if you plan to recreate on or near the river please remember to be safe, wear your life jackets and have all recommended safety equipment in working order on your boat.  As a reminder, the Locks and Dam 15 Auxiliary (recreational craft) lock will be closed this weekend due to high water.  It will re-open when the river level below the dam drops below 13 feet.  For more information call (309) 794-5338.

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Vicksburg, Miss. -- (July 7, 2011) The Mississippi Valley Division continues to assess damages and prioritize repairs to the Mississippi River and Tributaries (MR&T) System in the aftermath of historic Mississippi River flooding that broke flow elevation records at many locations.  The repairs will ensure the future integrity of flood risk management projects along the Mississippi and its major tributaries and restore function to critical project components.  All of this recovery work will require significant funding.

Without supplemental funding to address the flood and navigation system repair costs, the Corps is looking at internal funding sources to reset and repair the most critical flood risk management projects damaged by this year's event.

The Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies (FC&CE) appropriation is used for flood fighting, repair and rehabilitation of qualifying non-federal flood and storm protection facilities, and emergency dredging, among other things.  The Secretary of the Army has the authority to transfer funds to the FC&CE appropriation from other flood control appropriations to meet emergency requirements.

Funds that are transferred are revoked from individual studies and projects for which the funds are surplus.  A total of $52 million has been transferred to date.  Thus far, only funds surplus to FY 2011 and FY 2012 requirements have been transferred.  However, additional transfers are very likely.

In some cases the funds transferred ultimately would have been used on the projects from which transferred.  However, the needs of flood fighting and response are more pressing and immediate.  Without additional appropriations, projects losing funds can compete for funds in FY 2013 and beyond through the budget process.

This year alone, the MR&T System prevented approximately $100 billion in damages.  Since 1928, the MR&T has prevented over $470 billion dollars in damages at an investment of approximately $14 billion, for a 34-1 return on investment for our nation.

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